Various accessories currently are available to enhance the appearance of fish tank aquarium displays. These accessories include various objects (such as real and artificial plants, coral, rocks and stones of various colors, shapes, and sizes, and statuary of various types) that are placed in the aquarium tank along with the water and fish. Other accessories are available to provide background and lighting effects for an aquarium. For example, in many cases a lighting fixture is mounted on top of the aquarium to direct light downward into the water to illuminate the fish and other objects in the tank.
Background displays for aquarium fish tanks generally provide a two dimensional image that can be seen at the back of the aquarium by a viewer looking into the front of the aquarium in the normal manner. Such background displays typically are provided as an image formed on a flat sheet of material that is mounted on the outside of the back glass panel or wall of the aquarium, with the image side of the sheet material up against the aquarium glass. The background image may be formed, for example, on a sheet of plastic material that may be attached to the aquarium wall in a variety of ways.
An exemplary background device of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,320 to Sydenstricker. This patent describes an aquarium background device that includes at least one thin sheet of plastic material having a scene or picture thereon. The background device is adapted to be used in conjunction with a clear liquid, such as water or clear petroleum jelly, that is used between the plastic sheet and the outer rear surface of the rear glass of the aquarium to adhere the device to the outside surface of the rear glass wall of the aquarium in a manner that insures that the images and colors thereof will be vividly seen from the front of the aquarium and that the device can be easily removed and replaced with different background devices when desired. The preferred background device described includes at least a portion thereof that is translucent to allow lighting from the rear. Another portion of the background device might be opaque to prevent the transmission of light therethrough. Images on plastic insert sheets or on additional plastic sheet background devices may be layered together to produce different background effects. For example, such insert sheets or additional background devices may be positioned behind a background device attached directly to the aquarium glass so as to be visible through transparent areas of the background device that is attached directly to the aquarium glass. Although this patent suggests that a background display may be lighted from the rear, it does not describe or suggest any such lighting in particular.
An exemplary apparatus for illuminating a decorative scene disposed adjacent to a wall of an aquarium, terrarium, or other such enclosure is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,757 to Aleman et al. In a preferred embodiment, this invention comprises a housing defining a cavity having an inner surface, an outer surface, an upper and lower edge, and a top portion, wherein at least a portion of the inner surface is a reflective surface and is inclined relative to the wall of the enclosure. The inclined inner surface includes means for reflecting light incident on at least a part thereof. A light source positioned external to the cavity projects light onto the reflective surface within the reflective chamber, which light in turn is reflected off of the reflective surface onto the back of the decorative scene disposed adjacent to the wall of the enclosure. It is an important aspect of this invention to illuminate uniformly the decorative background over the entire surface thereof without causing point sources of light behind the decorative scene which would detract from providing an illuminated background which appears natural and not artificial. Thus, diffusing means may also be used to diffuse or scatter light within the reflective chamber so as to more uniformly direct light rays toward the wall of the enclosure. This patent, therefore, describes a device for providing general illumination over the entire image surface of a background scene image from the rear thereof.
What is desired, however, is a new and improved background display for fish tank aquariums and the like wherein the background display itself is lighted in manner to provide a striking visual background with bright lighted areas integrated into the background image.